The next day, Jovana and Elijah were enjoying a cup of tea in the comfort of their home. Jovana glanced at her brother, who hadn't said much since they got back from the Duke's palace. But she needed to know his position before making her next move. Elijah was sipping his tea, looking outside the window with distant eyes.
"Eli?" The sound of Jovana's voice brought him back from his thoughts.
"Yes, Jovana?"
"There are a couple of things I would like to ask you." Jovana said, and when Elijah nodded, she continued, "What do you think about the Duke's questioning? It was weird, wasn't it? Should we be worried?"
'The last thing I want is Eli to be in trouble with the crown because of my attempts to save his life.' Jovana said in her mind.
Elijah put down the tea cup and said, "I don't think the Duke should be our concern. Despite the dark rumors about him, he's not the kind of person that sends the innocent to the slaughterhouse. But the King does. If the Duke is convinced of my good faith, having him between us and the crown might actually be a good thing."
Jovana nodded at him, "I see. Are you feeling alright?" She asked, and then chided herself in her mind, 'I feel like an idiot asking this question. He doesn't want me to know about his pain.'
"I'm fine, I'm just tired. Avoiding the storm was a good idea, but spending the night away exhausted me." Elijah said, as he looked at Jovana, then smiled at her like it was nothing. "What a disgrace for a soldier, huh?"
Jovana did her best to play along as she responded, "I wouldn't say that. I bet the only reason you didn't sleep so well is that the bed was too comfortable for your standards."
"I think you're right." Elijah said, as they both had a light laugh.
"And, what are our plans for today?" She asked.
"Plans?" Elijah repeated.
"Sure. Events, meetings, concerts or God forbid you want to drag me to another ball." Jovana said, and Elijah laughed as he smiled at her.
"In that case I'm afraid we're in trouble, I don't have a clue." Elijah said, while Jovana's mind went back to the King as she thought, 'The older I get, the more controversy around the throne I hear. I had no idea that the king was so sinful. I've never heard a word about politics in the house when Mom and Dad were alive, and the Duke's question about what I think of the king was so weird.'
Elijah looked at Jovana in concern when he saw her deep in thoughts, and he asked, "Is everything okay, Jovana?"
'Eli seems to know more than I thought about our family and the crown. Maybe it's time for me to know it as well.' Jovana mused, and then said, "Eli, is there something I don't know about our family and the King?"
"Jovana, what are you talking about? Our family has always been loyal to the country." Elijah blurted out, and Jovana's thoughts raced, 'He said to the country, not to the crown. There must be something more.'
Jovana stood up, went over to the door and closed it. Then she sat right next to her brother. "Come on, Eli. What's going on here?"
Elijah sighed, as he met with the curious eyes of his sister gazing up at him. And he said, "What's going on is that conversations like this can put your neck under the executioner's axe."
Jovana rolled her eyes as she insisted, "Come on, Eli. If Dad had been entirely loyal to the crown, we wouldn't be here whispering almost under the table. I deserve to know, please."
Elijah lowered his eyes and took a deep breath of defeat. "Our father was absolutely loyal to the king while we were fighting to get back our own land. But when the war became more about weighing down foreign people than protecting our own citizens."
"Things got complicated?" Jovana said, and Elijah nodded.
"Dad's open opposition against military operations to conquer new territories drove a wedge between our family and the crown." Elijah said,
"But how." Jovana trailed off when Elijah interrupted her.
"Enough. Now you know what happened, and you will not mention this matter again. Our family is weak now. The last thing we need is to provide the King with an excuse to strike the final blow." Elijah said, and Jovana's shoulder slumped as she thought with furrowed brows. 'I hadn't realized how much trouble we could find ourselves in if.'
Her thoughts were interrupted when the door was thrown open and Xena, dolled up to the nines and holding a lace fan, walked in with a triumphant look. Jovana and Elijah had a sense of déjà vu and started laughing. 'Xena is always the same.' Jovana mused, while Xena frowned at the siblings.
"What the hell is wrong with you two? This dress can't be that bad." Xena said, looking between Elijah and Jovana. It was probably all the tension and the accumulated fatigue that finally melted away, but Jovana and Elijah couldn't stop laughing.
"It's not the dress, Xena," Jovana said.
"I knew I should have brought glasses!" Xena huffed.
"Anything but a violin," Elijah said.
"What?" Xena exclaimed, as she threw her fan at Elijah, and they started to laugh hysterically. They just couldn't help it. It took a while for both siblings to calm down.
"I haven't laughed like this in years." Elijah said, while Xena was moving pillows and curtains around searching for her fan.
"Xena, why do you even need glasses? Do you have bad vision?" Jovana said, and Xena rolled her eyes at her.
"Don't be ridiculous, Jovana. My eyesight is perfect." Xena responded, as she kneeled under a chair and finally got her fan back. "Stafford children never grow up, apparently." Xena glared at both of them.
"Oh, come on, Xena. You spend your life calling me a bore. Let me have a laugh every once in a while." Jovana said, and Xena scoffed.
"Sure, at my expense. Anyway, I wanted the glasses to look smarter." Xena said,
"I see. But why are you so concerned about looking smarter?" Jovana asked, as she tilted her head to the side.
"Because of the Royal Academy of Science, of course. By the way, you will come with me once you're done howling, right?" Xena said, and Jovana nodded.
"Sure, I---" "Wait, what? The Royal Academy of Sciences?" Jovana exclaimed, her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Haven't you heard? The King gave a special order to open the doors to the public today." Xena said,
"THIS IS AMAZING," Jovana said with enthusiasm as she clapped her hands together and continued, "I have been dreaming about looking inside that place my whole life."
"You spent your life dreaming of a dusty building?" Elijah asked, looking at his sister with a weird look.
"It's not a dusty building. It's the place where the finest minds of our time drive innovation," Jovana said.
"And where some of the finest bachelors hide from their future wives." Xena chimed in, as she pointed upstairs, flexing her whole body in a very blatant and dramatic way. "To the dressing room." Xena rushed upstairs but when Jovana was about to follow her, Elijah stopped her for a moment.
"Jovana." He called out.
"Yes?"
"I just wanted to tell you." Elijah stuttered and hesitated, like he was struggling to find the right words to shape his thoughts.
"Eli?" Jovana said,
"I know you are an adult now, but, please, forget about the Duke." Elijah said,
"What?" Jovana exclaimed.
"I know he's a charming and powerful man, but he's not husband material." Elijah said, as they looked at each other. Jovana could see his discomfort at touching the subject.
A hushed silence fell between the siblings, before Jovana took a deep breath and said, "Are you asking me to seriously put my head into finding a husband?"
Elijah nodded, "A nice girl like you deserves a good, caring husband." He said, as he stroked her cheek and walked away. Jovana wanted to burst into tears so badly, that she had to drive her own nails in the skin of her hand to stop the crisis as she thought sadly, 'I know why you are so eager to see me with the right man on my side, and I won't disappoint you, Eli. I promise.'